Zane State College to offer commercial truck driving lessons in fall

May 28, 2013

Written by

Holly Richards

Staff Writer

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Zane State College will begin offering five-week commercial driver’s license courses in August at the Cambridge campus. Students can sign up in July by calling 740-588-1324 for more information. The cost for the class has yet to be determined.

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ZANESVILLE — As the oil and gas industry begins to pick up in the area, a local college will be preparing students to meet the demand for truck drivers.

“It is important to understand that the oil and gas industry has an impact on all sectors of business by sometimes drawing more experienced workers away from current jobs,” said Chad Brown, Zane State College provost and executive vice president. “This is especially true in the trucking and hauling industries, so the impact of significant activity in Guernsey and Noble counties quickly spreads to surrounding communities and counties.”

Zane State College signed a memorandum of understanding with Big Rig Trucking Driving School this month. In August, Zane State will begin offering a five-week commercial driver’s license course at the Cambridge campus followed by driving testing at Big Rig in Massillon.

It’s impossible to predict exact demand, but Brown said he expects the classes to have between 12 and 20 students each. Using existing faculty, a new course could start every three weeks, he said.

“We chose to work with Big Rig due to their previous experience working with other colleges,” he said. “In addition, we entered into this as a joint agreement with Stark State College, who will have a very similar program.”

Brown said Zane State’s program will combine CDL education and training with hazardous waste awareness that can be applied to any industry. Additional certificates for Safeland training also will be available. Safeland is a safety program specific to oil and gas drilling sites.

Brown said he anticipates building on the college’s CDL program with a possible logistics management technical degree program in the works.

CareerBuilder.com currently lists 30 truck driver openings in Ohio when searching Zanesville, 21 of which are within 30 miles of the city.

“We’ve had local government officials tell us there is a need for CDL in the region — Muskingum, Guernsey and Noble counties,” said Mike Witson, Cambridge campus dean. “Our expectation is that oil and gas will try to hire experienced drivers, and we will train people to fill any vacancies. With oil and gas, signs the economy is starting to get better, and retirements, there is a need for qualified drivers.”

It’s possible that people who take the class could get a good-paying job in less than two months, Wiston added.

“We hope we’re looking at a diversified age group — young people with no families who want to see the country, and older people looking to do something different,” he said. “We also hope to see some females. It’s an interesting and challenging career to pursue.”

The classes also replace former courses offered at the Mid-East Career and Technology Centers. Public information coordinator Stacey Snider said Mid-East quit offering the classes four years ago because of lack of enrollment.

CDL classes are being added to Mid-East’s heavy equipment operator, welding and building construction and remodeling classes. Additionally, this year’s 16 power line graduates also have received their CDLs. Snider said that, although CDL is part of some of Mid-East’s curriculum, the school is looking into offering expanded classes.

Zane State’s CDL class will be instructed by Paul Herman, of Hopewell, a retired truck driver with 40 years of experience. On June 3, Herman will begin an intensive training course to prepare for his teaching duties.

“In driving, experience is a lot, but people have to start somewhere,” he said. “If I can give them some experience, it’s a plus for anybody. It’s not an easy job, but it’s fulfilling. There’s a lot of work involved, but you also get to see the country. It depends on what type of truck and business, but salary can range from $10 to $30 an hour.”